A spike in spending and one-off transactions has pushed Premier League finances deeper into the red, raising questions over the sustainability of the model even as commercial and broadcast income hit new highs.
Even with star players and affluent owners, financial records from leading English football clubs reveal some unexpected figures. The Premier League boasts unparalleled broadcast and sponsorship revenues, which boost income, but the cost of signing players and their salaries have continued to increase.
Premier League clubs made a cumulative loss of £786.3 million (€907m) pre-tax in the 2024/25 season, which compares to £136 million (€156.9m) a year before. Despite revenues rising to more than £6.8 billion (€7.8bn) across the League last season from £6.3 billion (€7.3bn) a year earlier, annual accounts from the 20 teams for the 2024-25 season show that 14 clubs reported pre-tax losses, notes a Financial Times report.
Chelsea reported a loss of £262.44 million (€302.7m), the highest recorded loss in Premier League history, versus a profit of £128.4 million (€148.2m) in the previous year’ s accounts. West Ham suffered a £104.2 million (€120.2m) loss, a major change from a profit of £57.2 million (€66m) in 2023/24. Tottenham Hotspur reported a pre-tax loss of £120.7 million (€139.3m), its worst ever pre-tax loss and significantly higher than a pre-tax loss of £26 million (€30m) in 2023/24. Nottingham Forest reported a pre-tax loss of £78.9 million (€91.1m), which compares to a £12.1 million (€14m) profit a year earlier.
Newcastle United reported a pre-tax profit of £34.7 million (€40.1m) for 2024/25, but mainly due to selling its stadium to its parent company for £172.1 million (€198.7m). Indeed, some clubs limited their losses by selling assets to related parties, highlights the Financial Times.
